Interdependence, Manchester
Last summer, George Osborne announced his woolly and not-in-the-least-bit patronising concept of the “northern powerhouse”. Standing in Manchester’s Museum Of Science And Industry, the chancellor said that while the city had iconic museums and cultural events, the north of England as a whole needed to exert greater economic pull internationally. Given the MP for Tatton’s track record, this may alarm those with interests beyond deficit-cutting. This two-day conference offers the chance for artists and scientists to share alternative ideas on what it takes for culture to flourish in the wider economy, with input from visual artists Olafur Eliasson, Ed Atkins and Jeremy Deller, Nobel prize-winning professor Sir Kostya Novoselov and dancer Reggie “Regg Roc” Gray.
Old Granada Studios, Sat & Sun
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Ben Okri, London
As the author of 10 novels, including Booker prize-winner The Famished Road, three poetry anthologies and the feature film N: The Madness Of Reason, Ben Okri is more than qualified to muse on greatness. Yet in this illuminating discussion, Meditations On Greatness, with writer-editor Ellah Allfrey, he’ll focus less on his own achievements and more on the majesty of nature and the power of art, which he believes can “enchant the human heart and the human mind into a sense of its true kingdom; of its magnificence”. Expect readings from recent publications The Age Of Magic – a novel set against the backdrop of an imposing Swiss mountain – and Wild, a collection of poems that urges readers to look for the oft-missed wonder in their lives. As Okri writes: “Wake up to what you can be. Search, search for a high destiny. While clouds do drift above our heads, and dreams do flit above our beds.”
British Library, NW1, Sat
CB
Freddie Flintoff, Preston
The impending Ashes summer falls on the 10th anniversary of what may well be the greatest Test cricket series ever played: England’s extraordinary 2-1 victory over the hitherto all-conquering Australians, a gripping epic that hung in the balance until the last day of the final match. England all-rounder Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff played a crucial role in the drama; the defining image of the series was his sporting consolation of Australia’s Brett Lee, after the latter had failed by just three runs to bat Australia to what had at one point seemed an impossible victory in the second Test. Flintoff, beginning a lengthy British tour tonight, will discuss the 2005 Ashes and other memories of an eventful career, in cahoots with his partner-in-podcasting Clyde Holcroft. Advance publicity gives due warning: there will be banter.
Guild Hall, Tue; touring to 5 Nov
AM
